


Love Is The Flower You've Got To Let Grow

by DandyAceInSpace



Category: Logan Lucky (2017)
Genre: F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, i love this boy, i write a lot of dialogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-04-19 23:32:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14248194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DandyAceInSpace/pseuds/DandyAceInSpace
Summary: You've just recently moved to West Virginia and opened your flower shop. Where did you come from and what's your story? The Logan family will soon learn all your secrets after you become involved will Clyde. Perhaps you'll learn a few of theirs as well.





	1. "Where Flowers Bloom, So Does Hope." - Lady Bird Johnson

The bell above your shop door jingles lightly.

“Coming!” you shout from the backroom, fastening your apron around your waist. It was weightless against your legs, as the main pocket is filled with only a pressed version of your favorite flower; a gardenia. 

You step up behind the counter, a glass case, displaying various charms and examples of arrangements made to show your skill. You take the first look at your new customers as they enter. One man stands taller than the other, both with goatees. The shorter one walks with the tiniest hint of a gait, and the trucker hat atop his head casts a soft shadow on his face. The taller man seems clumsy in a way, as if he might just trip on the air in front of him. They walk side by side until the most adorable little girl pushes right through them. She bounds up to the counter, just barely surpassing its height, to peer up at you with bright blue eyes as she leans against the glass.

You smile down at her, “Hello there, little Miss. How can I help you?” She perks up, her top lip stretching thin as she grins. “My daddy an I are going to a dance!” She exclaims, the idea making her giggle with giddiness. 

“Flowers,” the shorter man speaks up, “We need flowers for the father-daughter dance.” He’s obviously not as excited as his child, but you can tell by his small smile that he’s happy to see her enthusiasm. 

“You’ve come to the right place then!” You say with a chuckle. The dad’s demeanor changes. He reads friendlier to you in a split second. Whatever test he had for you in his mind, you passed. His smile becomes bigger, and the way he leans across the counter towards you speaks volumes. 

“You’re not from ‘round here are ya?” He asks. The corners of his lips relax from a smile to a smirk. Oh dear, he’s not trying to flirt with you, is he? You are far from shy, but you have never been one to flirt in front of an audience, never mind on the job.

You push your suspicions down, not wanting to lose out on this sale. “Oh dear, am I that obvious?” He laughs, and you join him. “I just moved here last month, and only opened the store about three weeks ago.”

“The name’s Jimmy Logan,” He says, before turning his attention to his daughter. He lifts her up and sets her on the counter. She giggles the entire way. “And this here is Sadie.” He ruffles her hair, starting another string of giggles from her. He gestures behind him with his thumb over his shoulder. “And that’s my brother, Clyde.”

You peer around Jimmy’s shoulder and meet Clyde’s gaze. He gives you a closed mouth smile with a nod and a quick wave of his hand. He looks awkward, like he was dragged along against his will. Perhaps Jimmy’s interest in you had made him uncomfortable. Either way, you wave back.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all…y’all.” You say, leaning up against the counter yourself. “My name is Y/N.”

“It’s nice to meet ya too.” Clyde pipes up from the back. You’re sure that you would’ve missed it if it weren’t for the deepness of his voice. It broke through the barrier surrounding you, called Jimmy, and you could see that even he was taken aback by his brother.

You feel drawn to Clyde. You can’t quite place it. Perhaps it’s the gentle wave of his long hair, the brooding gaze of his resting face, or maybe the plumpness of his lips- okay, you need to get ahold of yourself. These are your customers and you need their money if you want to eat dinner this week. 

“So, do you have an idea of what kind of flowers you want?” You ask, turning your attention back to Jimmy and Sadie. You can see Jimmy’s mind fly out the door. He’s at a loss for words. You just smile and fully focus on Sadie. “What about you, little lady? Got any ideas?” She taps her finger to her chin as she mulls it over. “Do ya got anythin’ blue? It’s my favorite color.” She asks you, radiating her cheerful energy.

Behind you stands two floor-to-ceiling cupboards that sit on the far ends of the wall. Between them is a giant cooler with shelves upon shelves stacked with containers of flowers. The shop was square in shape. The floor space beyond your counter was almost the same layout. Instead of coolers, the shelves of your store held fake flowers. Craft supplies, such as ribbon, were in the center. They helped your keep your income up outside of flower seasons, so you made sure they were the first thing people saw when they opened the door.

Taking a quick peek through your coolers, you were able to find three different types of blue flowers; Heavenly Blue Morning Glory, Blue Delphiniums, and Summer Blues. You lay them on the counter in front of Sadie. “Which do you like?”

She looks over them, picking them up one by one to bring them to her nose to smell them. She runs her fingers over the petals and leaves. Jimmy watches her with a proud smile. You glance over at Clyde, who has left reality and is currently enthralled by the ribbons. With your dwindling window of time before Sadie tells you what she wants, you take the opportunity to look more closely at Clyde. His skin is paler than Jimmy’s, with beauty marks dotted randomly across it. He holds a roll of ribbon in only one hand, the other hanging by his side. You notice it then, the plastic faux arm that lacked the precious dotting of freckles. It made him look disjointed. But at the same time, it was him. It broke him apart yet pulled him back together. Perhaps it was the cause of his inherent shyness. You don't blame him, if you were put in the same situation, you'd probably be shy too.

“Excuse me, Y/N?” Sadie's voice pulls you out of your thoughts. It also pulls Clyde's attention back over to you, and you turn with a small flush to your cheeks, hoping he didn't see you staring. Thankfully, Clyde seemed unaware that you had been checking him out, however, Jimmy saw the faint blush to your face and gave a knowing chuckle.

“Have you decided which you'd like?” You ask after clearing your throat. Sadie points to the Delphiniums, “These, please!” You give her a small nod and place the other two back into their spots in the cooler. 

To the left of your counter is 4 drawers, built into the wooden stand, that sit below your cash register. You're still waiting on the shipment of your new card reader - only this one will accept Google and Apple pay. You don't believe that feature will be used much down here, but hey, stranger things have definitely happened.

Reaching into the top drawer, you grab a pair of clippers and some metal pins. You shut it and open the drawer right below it, grabbing some off-white ribbon. “Ya’ll can come back tomorrow to pick these up if that works for you.” You mentally pat yourself on the back for remembering the word ‘ya'll.’

To be completely honest, you could have this corsage and boutonniere done before you close shop. However, something in you fears that if you offer that to them, Clyde won't be back. 

“Awesome, how much do I owe ya?” Jimmy says, reaching for his wallet. You wave your hand dismissively. “You can pay tomorrow. Don't wanna risk you not liking what you paid for.”

He nods, placing his wallet back in his pocket. He picks Sadie up off the counter and keeps her hooked to his side. “We’ll be back then.”

“Thank you guys so much! I'll see you tomorrow!” With the clippers in your hand, you trimmed the flowers to the perfect size as they made their way out. You make eye contact with Clyde one last time, right as Jimmy pats him on the shoulder to pull him out of the shop. You wave goodbye to him with a small smile. He returns the gesture, before turning his back to you at Jimmy’s call. They walk out of your shop, Jimmy's hand still on Clyde’s shoulder. Right as Clyde pushes through the door with the other two behind him, Jimmy turns his head to you and just shakes his head with a smile. 

Something in that smile tells you that this won't be the last time you see Clyde.


	2. "A Weed Is But An Unloved Flower." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Unfortunately, Clyde didn’t return with Jimmy the next day. Jimmy didn’t stay much to talk either. He picked up the order, paid, and then left with the two of you exchanging small talk. It has been three days since then and very few customers have come in. You expected just as much considering how new your store is. You have to wait for word to get around. Still, there was only so many days that you could sit in the backroom playing games on your phone.

Speaking of your phone, the alarm you set for 8 pm goes off, alerting you that it’s time to close. You stand from your chair with a sigh and untie the apron from around your waist before lazily throwing it onto the counter. With a quick check on the temperature in the cooler and pocketing the small amount of the cash in the register first, you’re out of your shop, locking the door behind you.

The drive home is short. Nothing good plays on the radio so you opted for the noise of the air passing through an open window. You pull into your driveway and stare at the dark and empty mass that is your home. No pets would be there to greet you. No family members and no significant others. Most likely, you would go inside and have dinner, then pass out on the couch while watching television. You would be too unmotivated to even go to your own bed.

Perhaps it was wrong of you to move here. At the same time, you needed to leave to somewhere remote. You keep telling yourself that you’re gonna make it. That you will forget everything that happened back home and start anew here. That feeling is fleeting though, as you spare another glance at your home.

Exasperated and now upset at yourself, you let your head thunk against the steering wheel. The horn goes off and you jolt back from the small scare. You can hear the distant sound of a dog barking as you rub your head.

Damn this. Damn everything. Damn _her_. She’s the reason why you’re here. This is all her fault.

You grab your phone and scroll endlessly through it just so you don’t have to go inside. You deleted social media a while ago, so really all you’re doing is refreshing your email constantly, hoping against all reason that anything will pop up. You pull up the GPS, hoping maybe a walk around a store will calm you down. You tap the button that brings up various shopping centers. Most of them are locally owned and clustered around the main areas of nearby towns. You scroll along the map, clicking on various pinpoints to open the menu and see that most of the shops are closed. You’re about to give up and just ask for a Walmart when a name catches your eye. It isn’t one of the shops, but rather a landmark nearby.

“Duck Tape,” it reads. You let out a snort. Surely, there really can’t be a duct tape outlet in this area. Some of the people around here really fill into the stereotype but this… this takes the cake. For fun, you click on the landmark and the info pops up. It is in fact not an outlet at all. It’s a bar. You scroll to see if there is any pictures of said bar. None. There isn’t much info except a phone number, the address, and the hours. You glance at your clock. 9:15 pm. You look back at the hours of the bar. Open till 2 am.

You lean against the window with your elbow propped up against it. Should you really go to a bar, in a new town, by yourself? You don’t have to work tomorrow so there is a pro side. Biting your bottom lip, you slide the phone into your back pocket and feel for your wallet in the other. It’s still there. You release your lip and give yourself a reassuring nod. You start your car back up and pull out of the driveway without glancing back at your house.

Your mind was reeling the entire drive. Thoughts about home, about your life before this, and especially about how it all ended. The more you thought about it, the more depressed you felt, and the surer you became about drowning yourself in cold beer.

When you pulled up to the place, there were only a few other cars. You were expecting it to be busy for a Saturday night. Again, you pat your pockets for your wallet and phone before hopping out of the car and into the cool summer night. You clip your keys onto one of the belt loops of your jeans as you head inside.

You carefully push the door open as you run your fingers back through your hair. The place is quite roomy, with tables surrounding the island counter in the middle. You don’t see any bartender currently, only patrons scattered throughout the place. The floor creaks underneath your feet as you make your way to a bar stool and sit down. The cushioning is kind of stiff and the faux leather is cracking from use.

You sit in silence for five minutes, contemplating on whether you want to wait any longer. You’re drumming your fingers along the counter, totally lost in thought. You don’t see the man in the royal blue dress shirt approach you nor hear him try to ask you what you want. It’s not until he’s waving his right hand in your face do you return from your comatose state.

“Y/N?” Came the deep voice.

You look up and see him, like a vision amongst the dark interior of the bar. _Clyde_.

“Are ya’… alright?” He asks with hesitation, like he feels it isn’t his place to ask.

“Oh, Clyde… Hey,” you reply dumbfoundedly.

Snapping back into reality, you try to play off your mood, stretching your arms behind your back. “Hey! Hey! Hi! Sorry, it’s been a long day and I’m super tired,” you rush out. It doesn’t sound convincing.

“Okay…” He drawls out, “What can I get ya’?”

“Beer, if you would please and surprise me! Though nothing pale,” You say, straightening up on your stool.

He nods and leaves you to take a few more orders. You lean against the counter, head propped up in your hands as you watch him. His dress shirt fits him perfectly. It clings to the muscles in his back as his intact arm works to make a customer a martini. You’ve never seen someone make a cocktail with only one hand, it’s a like a superpower. You could almost call him Dionysus, but he is way too tame and mild-mannered. So, you settle for Apollo in your head, God of Manly Beauty.

He returns to you with the bottle of beer, cap off and sets it on a coaster that he slides over, “Will that be all for ya’?”

You nod, taking the beer and take a small sip, judging the flavor. “For now, I hope.”

“Ya’ hope?” He asks.

You chuckle awkwardly before taking another sip. “It’s a long story. I know bartenders are the poor man’s therapist but I don’t want to be one of those people who tells their whole life story after a few drinks.”

“I s’pose I can know where ya’ comin’ from,” he says, “but if it’s any consolation, I doubt that your story can be any weirder than some of the ones I’ve heard.” He gives you a shy smile. You smile back at him, thankful for his company, and his attempt to comfort you.

“Oh?” You ask with a playful tone. “And what might some of these stories be?” As much as you want to cry into his shoulder while his arms hold you tight, you want to get the conversation off of you.

“Lemme think here,” he says, his hand absentmindedly scratching his beard, “I had a guy tell me that he had found out that his sister was actually his mother.”

You let out a laugh and Clyde smiled at that, happy to see you seemingly out of your mood.

“Okay, okay, I’ll admit, mine’s nothing like that,” you say between your giggles.

“What is it like?”

You freeze. His question is simple and harmless of itself. You can’t blame him, you’re new and he’s curious. But your anger bubbles up to the surface about your situation. Your lips press into a thin line and your voice becomes quiet, “Don’t you have other customers?”

He seems hurt. His eyes go a little wide and his mouth turns into a small frown. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend-”

“It’s fine,” you say cutting him off. Whatever light-hearted feeling between you two was replaced by a heavy tension. He drops the conversation and walks away, tending to the other customers like you heartlessly suggested.

You down your drink while he isn’t looking. That’s the last thing you need. For him to think of you as an alcoholic. You don’t know why you care so much about how he thinks of you. He’s been kind to you and you don’t want to feel like an outcast. At least, that’s what you tell yourself. 

You reach for your wallet, grabbing out cash to pay for your drink. You set the money next to the empty bottle. As your about to fold the wallet back up, you see one of your business cards poking out. You look up to see that Clyde’s back is still turned to you. Spotting a pen on the counter next to some glasses, you steal it to quickly scribble a little message on the back of the business card. You place the card, with the message down, on top of the money before head out and home.

‘ _Perhaps I’ll tell you over the next beer._ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eughhhh sorry it ended on a bad note but I swear the next chapter is nothing but fluffy goodness. Also, who is this mysterious woman who ruined your life?
> 
> Follow me, make requests, or just say hi on fullofbees.tumblr.com


	3. "The Flowers Like Me Back!" - John H. Carroll, Rojuun

The next beer doesn’t arrive. You promised yourself not to fall back into old habits, even if it meant missing out on the dreamy eyes of a bartender. It would only make your family right about you.

You lightly dig the toe of your sandal into the green grass below. The blades of grass give way but the dirt below remains solid and unforgiving. You let out a groan as you raise your arms above your head, stretching your back, and happily sigh when the stiff appendages pop. You lean back against the mobile cart carrying the last of this season’s flowers, scrolling through what little Twitter feed you had since re-downloading the app.

The air is warm on your skin with an intermittent breeze that helped to cool the atmosphere. The sun was present, basking everyone in its rays, without being overbearing. Every few minutes, the whir of the mechanical ride, followed by elated screams, would sound behind you. The aroma of various carnival foods wafted into your space as their soon-to-be-consumers passed by your stand. Each new sweet confectionary or atery clogging ‘meal’ you saw would remind you of your aching, empty stomach. You had breakfast, but in the midst of your rush to get to your allotted spot on time, you forgot lunch and now you were paying for it. 

Truly, nothing would hurt your stand if you left for a snack but you didn’t want to miss any customers. The flower cart at the fair wasn’t paying off. You were hoping to cash in on the idea of carnivals being considered the perfect rustic date. Thus, now you stood in jean shorts, a white tank top, and an unbuttoned red flannel, hoping to peddle romance to greasy teenagers.

A tiny hand waving in front of your face brought your nose out of your phone. The young girl was on her tiptoes, eyes peering at you just over the edge of the cart. She leans back once she sees you’re paying attention. She smiles, showing off the gaps where she had lost her baby teeth.

“Hiya!” She chirps.

“Hey! I’m sorry about that-” You look down at her, pushing some of your stray hair back, “Well, if it isn’t little Miss Sadie!”

She giggles before repeating, “Hiya!”

“What are you doing here? I mean, aren’t you a little young to be here by yourself?” You question, looking around for Jimmy.

She shakes her head, her pigtails swishing in the air, “I’m here with my daddy! He loves the fair, especially the food. He’s jus’ in the restroom, and he told me to get some flowers.”

You cross your arms over your chest, walking to stand in front of the stand instead of behind it. You kneel down to Sadie’s height, “I like the food too, but, what can I get for you this time?”

“I’m lookin’ fer somethin’ fer my Aunt Mellie,” she says and points behind her. There’s a woman standing in front of the men’s restroom, clearly annoyed that Jimmy was taking so long.

“And let me guess, not just anything will do?” You ask her a brow raised.

She shakes her head again with a small smile. You look at the cart, eyes scouring over each flower that you have. Your eyes land on the perfect flower, a sterling white carnation. It symbolizes good luck and the platonic love between women. Perfect for an aunt and niece. Taking it out of the metal bucket, you stand up and walk back behind the stand to open the one drawer attached to the cart. Sadie stares at you confused, but you dismiss her with a finger. The drawer contains scissors, ribbons, tags, and your money satchel. Taking a string of red ribbon, you tie a small bow onto the stem before presenting it to Sadie.

“Whaddya think? Think she’ll like it?” You ask, twirling the flower in between your fingers.

Sadie squeals as you hand her the flower, “Oh, she’ll love it! How much do I owe ya?”

“Just one dollar, please.” You say.

She fumbles through the pockets of her overalls before producing a dollar in quarters. You take the change from her, zipping it into the barely stuffed money pouch.

“Sadie!” calls a deep voice, making both you and Sadie jump in place. You both whip your head over in the direction of the voice. There stands Clyde, gazing between his niece and the people that are traveling in the opposite direction to him. He’s trying to shuffle through the crowd of people, and it’s a little comical watching him weave through. He’s ungodly tall while the rest of the carnival’s population isn’t, and it leaves the impression of a giant amongst ants in your mind. Once he’s able to make it to your stand, he refuses to meet your gaze, instead focusing on Sadie. A little twinge of sadness hitches in your throat but you swallow it down.

“Sadie, your father is lookin’ fer ya!” Clyde says to her worriedly.

“It’s okay, Clyde, Jimmy sent her over here.” You say, a little quiet. You’re not completely sure why you interrupted. Perhaps something in you was hoping that your last encounter was just a dream, that he will smile and all will be okay. But he just looks at you confused.

Sadie giggles and it catches you off guard. If you were in her shoes and you knew your father was looking for you, you knew to run to him or else you’d be in trouble. Yet, here she stood, with no fear present.

“Is that what you told Y/N here, Sadie?” Clyde questions his niece. She doesn’t say anything. She looks to you, to Clyde, and then bolts over to the restroom where you can see Jimmy talking to Mellie. You watch her run away from you, mouth hung open in shock.

“She made me an accomplice!” You exclaim.

Clyde just smiles, shaking his head, “Yeah, that’s the Jimmy in ‘er.”

You expect him to leave, return to his family and leave you in your broken dignity. But he doesn’t. He turns his attention to you and pulls a dollar bill from his jeans pocket.

“I need a flower,” he says, setting the bill on the cart. You’re definitely surprised. You thought you had lost your chance of him ever speaking to you again.

“Anything in particular?” You ask with perhaps too much giddiness.

“Do ya have anything that says I’m sorry for the way I acted and if I could take you out to dinner sometime?” He rushes out, missing your eager tone as his cheeks burning a subtle pink.

“Wait- what?” You ask. Your heart thumps in your chest, and suddenly you're aware of just how sweaty your hands are.

“I’m- I’m sorry, I should’ve-” he reaches for his money to put it back in his pocket, but you stop him by resting your hand on top of his.

“I’d love to.” You say to him, wrapping your fingers underneath his palm and rubbing a gentle circle into the skin with your thumb.

“I-” He looks down to your intertwined hands, fumbling with his so that it may completely envelop yours, “I didn’t think I’d make it this far.”

You laugh at his confession, and after a second, he joins you in your laughing. You can’t help but think about how much better he looks when he smiles. He has these absolutely adorable dimples and you could write an entire book about the way his eyes light up.

When your laughter dies down, he still lets you hold his hand as he leans against the frame of the cart. “What day works best for you?” He asks.

Your stomach growls loudly. Oh, right, you forgot to eat. You blush, hoping he didn’t hear your stomach but with the playful smirk he’s wearing right now, you know you’ve been caught.

“Uhm, is now okay?” You ask.

“Now’s perfect.” He says, pulling his hand away from yours. You have to stop yourself from audibly whining at the loss of contact. He rounds the cart, offering for you to link your arm with his intact one. You smile, ignoring his extended elbow, instead linking your arm with the prosthetic. He’s a little taken aback, but not complaining as he leads you to the concessions.

What you would learn later on is that Jimmy did indeed send Sadie over to you… just not to only purchase flowers.


	4. “Every flower blooms at its own pace.” - Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“Ya can choose anythin’ you want, my treat,” Clyde says as you stare at each food trailer in awe. 

“I’ll accept that deal just this once. But in the future, we’re splitting the bill,” you playfully warn him. He raises his hand in surrender, yielding to what the older town folk would call “untraditional views.” 

Truth be told, there’s not a whole lot you could buy with the change in your pocket currently, so you’re thankful he is such a sweetheart. Hopefully, you’ll have the funds in the future so that you can stick to your word. 

You lead Clyde through the crowd of people, debating on what greasy mess will appease your stomach the most. Anything made here is a heart attack waiting to happen, but it is the heart attack of your dreams. You can’t imagine anywhere else that you could buy a half gallon of fries, perfectly on display next to the monster size bags of cotton candy. Just across the alley is a pizza vendor, serving slices bigger than your head. 

Stepping off to the side and out of the crowd, you turn to Clyde. “How about we split some fries?”

“Ya sure ya don’t want anythin’ else? I don’t mind paying a lil’ extra,” he reassures, a soft smile gracing his lips.

You inwardly sigh. How could one man be so dreamy? The sun has fallen lower into the sky, painting everything in a golden hue. You can’t wait for the pinks and purples to take their place alongside it. Perhaps you can convince Clyde to join you on the Ferris wheel for a better view, maybe steal a cliched kiss…

Realizing you’ve probably been staring for a few seconds longer than normal, you clear your throat, glancing down at the ground as you regain your thoughts. 

“Trust me, fries and the fixins’ will be enough,” you say, looking back up to him, a small blush adorning your cheeks.

Perhaps the pink sky has made its appearance because you swear that you can see a faint flush to Clyde’s face as well. 

“As my lady wishes,” he says before making his way over to the fry truck.

“My lady…?” You whisper to yourself, following behind him, no doubt looking like the biggest fool in love.

After gathering the fries and absolutely burying them in toppings, you and Clyde find a bench away from the crowd. It’s much easier to do now that the crowd is thinning out. People with their children have begun to head home but even the rambunctious teenagers move when they see you and Clyde. You don’t know whether it’s because they think you’ll reprimand them or because they don’t want to see adults trading cooties. It makes no difference to you as you’re just happy to spend some alone time with Clyde, away from prying Jimmy. 

“So… my girl, huh?” You ask, breaking the easy rhythm of eating.

You watch as his eyes go wide and he starts to cough, smacking his chest to help dislodge whatever poor fry ended up in his windpipe. Reaching over, you give him a few light pats on the back, switching to softly rub between his shoulder blades as he regains his breath.

“I’m sorry, Clyde! I didn’t mean to make you choke!”

“S’all good, darlin’. Jus’ took me by surprise…” He grunts quietly.

Once it looks like he has recovered, he leans back into the bench. You take the opportunity to cozy up to him, your arms loosely curling around his bicep.

“It’s uh, somethin’ Jimmy an’ Mellie have been referrin’ to ya as,” Clyde says, not meeting your gaze, “An’ I quite like the way it sounds, but I guess I got ahead of myself.”

“I like how it sounds too,” you admit.

“Shit, darlin’, you don’t know how happy that makes me. I’m not too good at the, you know, dating thing, and I was afraid of makin’ ya feel rushed.” 

“I would have in the past, but right now?” You pause, leaning your head against his shoulder, “Right now my heart is racing because I feel, for once, that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Half the time my brain is so jumbled, but when I’m around you, it all slows down.”

His right hand takes hold of yours, his thumb tracing over your skin in a comforting manner. “Ya always seem collected, though. I never woulda thought someone so calm could be interested in a mess like me.”

“If anyone is the mess here, it’s me. I mean, I left home in a frenzy, barely packed any of my stuff, and just drove. Drove as far as my hunk of junk could take me. But, I suppose that’s why I stopped here before I got too far. I stopped so I could clean up my mess and piece it back together on my own terms,” you finish, sighing wistfully.

“I’m not going to pry into your past, but the people in this town are good people and we take care of each other. That includes you.” He punctuates the sentence by poking you in the gut. You squirm in place, but not without a small laugh and a newfound hope.

“Thank you, Clyde. That means a lot. Truth be told, I was worried about rumors starting when I came into town. I didn’t know if I’d be able to leave, I’ve never seen so many stars before.”

“There’s plenty of places to gaze at them here, open fields and quiet lakes. I’d be happy to show them to you,” He says, as he untangles himself from you to stand. 

Without his body next to yours anymore, the night air comes at you with full force. It is still pleasantly warm, the sun’s heat not quite gone yet, but it’s not as lively as him. The cool air playfully nips at your skin, causing goosebumps to rise to the surface. You instinctively wrap your arms around yourself, rubbing at your skin for a little boost in heat.

He extends his right hand to you, “That is if ya want me to.”

You happily take his hand and he easily pulls you up off the bench. “I can’t think of anyone better. Which place would you suggest first?”

Protectively pressing you to his side, he lets out a small hum in thought. He begins to lead you towards the carnival rides, “Definitely the Ferris wheel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually alive, believe it or not. Don't worry, I already have plans for the next chapter!!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave any comments, good or bad. I love feedback, man.
> 
> I'm always looking to write, so if you'd like to request something, please feel free to leave your suggestions at fullofbees.tumblr.com


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